Membrane contactors are devices used to, among other things, degas liquids. For example, membrane contactors may be used to degas the ink used in, for example, industrial printers.
Hollow fiber membrane contactors typically operate on a diffusion principle. Such membrane contactors typically have a shell side and a lumen (or tube) side, and these sides are separated with a membrane, for example, a microporous membrane. In operation, the gas entrained liquid is introduced into one side of the contactor, while vacuum or a combination of vacuum and swept gas is passed through the other side. As the liquid passes through its side, the gas diffuses across the membrane into the other side.
Two small membrane contactors are illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 (both prior art). Such Liqui-Cel® brand contactors are commercially available from the Membrana-Charlotte Division of Celgard, LLC of Charlotte, N.C. While these are excellent small membrane contactors, there is still a need for improved small membrane contactors or improved production methods for such contactors for at least certain applications.